I Might Be a Goody Two-Shoes, but at Least I Have a Job! An Examination of the Correlates of Following Institutional Rules Among Texas Prison Guards

Bibliographic Data

ID2153750
AuthorsRobert M Worley (Lamar University, Beaumont, US, corresponding author), Eric G Lambert (0000-0002-9315-2294, Indiana University Northwest, Gary, US), Vidisha Barua Worley (Lamar University, Beaumont, US)
Year2024
Volume45
Issue12
Pages1667-1681
Publication date2024-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDeviant Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0163-9625 • E-ISSN: 1521-0456
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01639625.2024.2318623
OpenAlexW4391823595
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited72

For prisons and jails to run effectively and efficiently, correctional officers need to follow institutional policies and rules. Failure to follow the rules could lead to deviant acts of officer-on-inmate brutality, inappropriate staff-inmate relationships, as well as a variety of other unprofessional behaviors that could undermine the prison regime. In this exploratory study, we collected 501 questionnaires from prison officers in Texas to examine the dynamics of rule-following. Using the job demands-resources model to guide in the interpretation of our analyses, we found that older officers, as well as female officers, were significantly more likely than their peers to follow institutional rules. Officers with high levels of family and supervisor support were also likely to follow the rules; however, respondents who experienced role strain were significantly less likely to adhere to agency policies and procedures. Our findings have important implications for the contemporary management of prisons and jails

Criminology · Prison · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Engineering · Policing Practices and Perceptions · Psychology · Social Psychology

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